I Want To Be Alone With You
by Rui Votum
Summary: With the help of Shawn, Juliet closes a case, admits to her feelings, and finally decides that it's time to give Shawn a chance to prove he really is a good guy. Contains slight spoilers for Bounty Hunters. Shules, fluff. Discontinued...?
1. Need Help With a Case Need to See You'

_A/N: This is the first actual Psych Fanfic I've done that I'm posting. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. I'm still learning a thing or two about Jules' character, so if she doesn't seem right on, please forgive me.__(This story is currently a work in progress, as there are two people working on it at the same time.)__There may be slight language involved, but nothing too heavy._

**Disclaimer: **Said friend and I own no right to the characters or show. Just so you know. Potential spoiler if you haven't seen the Bounty Hunters episode. Consider yourself warned.

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**-Need Help with the Case, Need to See You-**

**J**uliet O'Hara sat quietly at the counter of the restaurant that she'd first met Shawn Spencer at, bouncing her foot lightly in slight impatient-ness. In the back of her mind, she was hoping that Shawn had gotten the voice-mail she'd left him. She needed his help again in another case, and wasn't going to let Lassiter know. She couldn't. Drumming her fingers nervously, she glanced over at the door before the person behind the counter set down the glass of orange juice she'd ordered. A soft 'thank you' escaped her lips before she sipped it through the straw she'd put in it. Chuckling lightly, she shook her head. "Out of all the days I could hope you get this call... let it be today..." Juliet groaned softly, not directed at anyone really. Just a thought that was verbalized.

Slightly ruffled from having been woken up by a loud beeping near his ear, Shawn Spencer was now astride his Norton Commando motorcycle, speeding down the streets of Santa Barbara toward the little cafe. The message from Jules was playing again and again in his mind. _Need help with a case. Need to see you._ That was about all that really stuck out in his mind. He turned the corner and parked at the little cafe, stepping off his bike and removing his helmet with a sigh. He set it on the bike's seat and hit the kickstand as he attached the helmet so it wouldn't get stolen. He then strolled slowly toward the cafe, grabbing a paper as he did so. There she was, Juliet O'Hara, in the same seat she'd been in when they first met. He stepped into the cafe and moved right up next to her. "Excuse me, that's my seat," he said jokingly as he sat in the stool next to her.

"Yeah, I know, and that's why I'm sitting here..." she joked back. Sighing heavily, Juliet looked at Shawn and shook her head. "I'm glad you're here and got my message though. There's either something I'm missing in this River's murder case, or everything we know now is all there is to know. Either way, I'm not sure this..." Juliet was at a loss for words now. This case had been frustrating the hell out of her for three days now. "I need your help. I can't figure this out, and it's bugging me."

"Jules," Shawn smiled brightly at her and turned to look her in the eye. The waitress at the counter didn't even need to ask him what he'd like as she brought out a nice tall glass of iced pineapple juice. He picked it up and took a sip through the straw with a contented sigh. "Thanks, Beth-ann." He then set the drink down and shrugged. "From the looks of it, all we know is all we know, or are going to know. This guy's good. He's been doing this far too long to make silly mistakes, so we have to stop looking for the silly mistakes, and start looking for the serious ones. Things like..." He put two fingers to his temple and recalled the last crime scene to the front lines. There was one thing the police had skimmed over. He'd seen it, but hadn't moved or touched it. "Missing jewelry... He lost something precious to him at the crime scene... Something that we missed..."

This was the exact reason that she'd called on Shawn. He always seemed to find the smallest little detail to bring the cases to a close. Smiling lightly, Juliet looked at Shawn. "Jewelry. I guess that means I'm going back into the last scene to look for it then. I want this case to be over with already." Sipping her orange juice for a brief moment, Juliet thought. '_I should probably get Lassiter to come along, but for once, I sort of want to do this on my 'own'..._' Setting the glass back down on the counter, Juliet looked at Shawn. "You feel like going back with me? See if we can't find this 'something precious' he lost?" It was worth a shot right?

Shawn smiled at Juliet with a quirk of one eyebrow. "I'd love to, Juliet." He took a final sip of his juice and glanced at Juliet's little area. He then laid down enough cash to pay for both their drinks and tip. "Let's go."

Juliet smiled a little more and sipped her juice one final time. "You didn't have to do that you know, I could have..." Shaking her head and laughing softly, she stood up. "What are you going to do about your bike? You going to leave it here, or do you want to take it back to your place? I can follow you back there if you want to go about it that way..." Shrugging her shoulders, she picked up her purse from near her feet, and returned to her standing position.

"My bike? It's safer here than back home. Beth-ann'll watch after it, won't she?" He glanced at the waitress, who gave him a girlish giggle. "No, I won't make you watch the Commando. I'll drive it home, then we can take your car," he said, turning back to Juliet with a smile. "If it works out okay for you, of course, Jules. Otherwise, I can just drive my bike to the scene."

'_No... I want you to go in my car with me..._' she thought before she shook her head. "You can ride with me. I'll follow you along to your house so you can drop it off, then you can get in my car. We'll go from there." Returning that same smile back to Shawn, Juliet nodded her head. That sounded perfect to her. '_I'm just a little surprised I was thinking that and then voiced it..._'

Shawn laughed and nodded. "Alright then." He pulled out his keys and gave Juliet a one-arm hug. "We'll hit my place first." He went to his bike and pulled on his helmet, waving back at the young detective before he swung his leg over the bike, knocked the kickstand back and started the engine with an almost ferocious roar.

Juliet managed a sly little smile and retrieved her keys from her purse. Giving Beth-ann a polite little wave and a second 'thank you' on the drink, Juliet headed outside and to her car. '_Shawn, be careful on that thing will you? I don't want to see you get hurt or something..._' Okay, why was she so concerned about Shawn now? There could have been a few reasons. One of them being that maybe somewhere in the back of her head she did sort of like Shawn... a little more than she displayed. Opening the door to her car, sliding into the seat, and starting it, she closed the door and buckled in, waiting to see where exactly it was that Shawn was going to head off.

Shawn, of course, was no idiot when it came to that bike. He watched traffic, pulled out in a break, and kept to the speed limit as he headed down Third toward his apartment building. He wasn't sure if it was because he could sort of see the tenseness in Juliet's shoulders whenever she watched him get on the bike, or if it were just for that fact that Juliet was, in fact, a police officer and could ticket him, no matter how much she obviously liked him. This last bit made him smirk slightly beneath the helmet as he rounded a corner to take a less-traveled road back home.

Juliet followed Shawn along, quite impressed that he wasn't testing his limits with her behind him. Even if she wanted to slap him with a ticket if he was speeding, she probably wouldn't be able to do it. That was one of those things that came with feelings. The uncertainty of it all. Turning on the radio in her car, she sighed at the music playing through the speakers. "Can't ever play anything good can you? At least not for me..." Chuckling a little, she just let her thoughts run around in her head. Sure, they were getting jumbled around and things like that, but at least there was a little movement of thought going on in that head of hers. With a little luck, maybe working with Shawn alone would let some of that work-related-stress out of her head.

Shawn pulled the bike into his usual parking spot, making sure to park the proper distance from the fire hydrant and even going so far as to look around in fear of seeing his father's truck, stalking him or something, like that damned raccoon. He finished the parking business and got off the bike, helmet in hand, and waited for Juliet to come to a stop so he could get in.

Juliet put her foot lightly on the brake and came to a rolling stop, waiting on Shawn. She'd lowered the window in the process and looked at him with a slight hint of a smile on her face. "Let's go get this case finished or something. It'd be nice to have it all done and out of the way or something." Shrugging she waited for him to get in the car and fiddled with the radio a little more before finding something that would keep her attention for a moment or two.

Shawn slid into the passenger's seat and smiled at Juliet as he pulled the door closed. "You're rather anxious, Jules. Ready to prove your worth to Lassy? If that's the case, you don't even have to mention that I helped." _I wouldn't mind going Holmes on this and giving you all the credit for the case._

"That could be it... but I think it's because he seemed rather grouchy today. I know this case has been wearing on everyone at the precinct. I just want to get it over with so things just go back to being... normal. Whatever that is..." she said with a chuckle and let off the brakes, putting the car back in motion. Even this station she was growing bored with, and opted for trying to find a CD to listen to. Then she remembered she'd left her CD's at home. Sighing, she looked over at Shawn and smiled weakly. "I asked for your help because I know that you'll see things I won't. And it'd look nice on your record too, that much you're aware of. And maybe it was partly an excuse to get a chance to talk to you a little more. Whatever it was, who cares. It's a case. It needs to get solved. After it's solved, maybe we can... go find something to do together." '_Oh Juliet! What are you doing?!_' she thought and stopped at the light that changed from it's warning yellow to it's 'DON'T DRIVE' red.

Shawn nodded gently. "Perhaps we could," he said softly, glancing at Juliet then back out the front window. "I noticed Lassy's aura was becoming a sickeningly dark brown. It's usually a crimson. But it's just been fading more and more toward black. He's distressed because of this case. It'd be nice to end it. Get his mind off it." _At the same time, us solving it is going to piss Lassy off._ He reached out and hit the seek button on Juliet's car radio without another word and found an old-school rock station. It was currently in the middle of one of those long-ass rock guitar riffs that could only mean it was an eighties song.

"I noticed you haven't been your normally 'perky' self either lately. Seems it's bugging you too then?" Watching as the light changed from red to green, Juliet hit the blinker on her car and took a right, heading up the street. '_It would be nice to get his mind off it. It'd be better if I could figure out why we're talking like this..._' she thought. Was it that obvious she sort of liked Shawn in that oddly-cute little 'He's-so-cute' kind of way? She hoped not. Sighing, she cast a glance in Shawn's direction, which caused her to smile a bit and blush. "Um... So... what would you want to do... after this case is over?"

"Eat," was Shawn's immediate response. "You a big fan of jerk chicken?" He smiled at Juliet before dropping his gaze back to the radio self-consciously. "Or we could go bowling... Or kite-flying..." _Or anything that'll make it just you and me, enjoying ourselves away from everyone else..._

Juliet smiled. "Any of that will work. Just as long as it gets me away from work for a little while. I need to do something fun anyway... it's been a bit of time since the last time I did anything fun..." she groaned, and took in immediate left this time, heading down the street to the place where the last murder had taken place. Drumming her nails on the steering wheel nervously, Juliet bit her lip.

Shawn chuckled. "Well, then. We'll do whatever we feel like doing, whenever." He smiled and leaned back, closing his eyes. The music on the radio was now an old Meatloaf song, "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth." It made him smile briefly as he opened his eyes again to watch the road. "I have a strong feeling that our culprit's missing item is... his wedding band. But he's not married. He just continues to wear it because he still loves her."

"Really. You think that has anything to do with these murders?" Raising an eyebrow and looking over to Shawn, she managed a light smile. '_You never cease to amaze me..._' she thought, allowing her smile to grow a little bit. "Things like that are known to be a good cause for murder... so I learned." Or was that what she'd read on those nights she was at home bored out of her mind and stuck reading cheesy romance novels? She knew she'd seen it somewhere though.

Shawn put a finger to his temple. "His motives are fuzzy to me, but his breakup with his wife is the cause of his anger and blood-lust. He's killing these people... They're all men in a happy marriage, yes? Or some sort of relationship that's benefited them in some way. He's watched them, and destroyed them because they have what he will never have now." He sat back, faking exhaustion and gasping slightly.

Juliet pulled up to the curb outside of the last crime scene and sighed. "If anything, it's pushing her further away. I know I'd run for my life if anyone did that sort of thing to try and bring me back to them..." Turning off the ignition to her car, Juliet sat back against her seat and closed her eyes. This scene had been particularly gruesome, she remembered watching Gus leave. Shuddering a bit, she took a deep breath and kept her eyes closed. '_I wonder..._' she thought, more or less wondering if she sat still long enough if...

"I'll keep that in mind, so as not to drive you away with my latent homicidal urges," Shawn joked. He glanced across at Juliet a minute. "You okay, Jules?"

Juliet nodded lightly. "Think so. Just... I remember that this was a pretty gruesome scene. Gus ran off screaming, remember? I'm just hoping I can hold back the fear of going in here to find this ring..." she said and sighed. 'Kinda hoping a lot at the moment...' she thought.

Shawn reached out and put a hand on Juliet's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll go in together. And forensics cleaned the blood up, I'm sure." He shrugged lightly, forcing the disgust for the scene's mental image out of his mind the same way his father had taught him too. This was why he was always so uncaring at crime scenes. He saw it as a victim and bodily fluid. He didn't see it as a lost life and blood. Sighing, he squeezed Juliet's shoulder lightly. "It'll be alright."

Juliet smiled at Shawn's hand on her shoulder, and opened her eyes, looking up at the roof of her car. "I hope so..." she whispered, and looked over at him with a ghost of a smile. "I'll never get how you can just go in there like that though, and stand there picking up vibes off of it." '_I admire that in you... makes me wish I was a little stronger in that sense..._'

Shawn shrugged again, then sighed. "It's not all that glamorous to be able to do. It's like turning off my emotions. And it's not something I do consciously, which scares me. It just... happens, it's so engrained." He coughed lightly. "Let's just get in there and find that ring, alright?"

Juliet nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt before popping the trunk on her car. "Yeah. The sooner we find that ring, the better it'll be and the faster this case can be considered closed." Taking a deep breath, she put her hand on the door handle on her door and pulled on it. '_It'd be kind of funny if you just acted on what was running through your head about him right now Juliet, and you know it. You're just afraid to. And not just that, you don't want to make that move. Make him do it._' Right now, she hated her thoughts. She had a case to focus on, not emotions or what to does.

Shawn stepped out of the car and moved around to the trunk, having noticed Juliet popped it. "What do we need from the trunk?" he asked no one in particular as his eyes skimmed the enclosed space. Shrugging, he glanced to the building and twitched his nose a bit, fighting off a sneeze. The sun did that to him sometimes.

"Well, I want gloves, because I'm not touching anything in there with anything other than a gloved hand. And I need one of those spiffy little evidence bags for that ring." Juliet looked at Shawn for a moment before retrieving a set of gloves and the bag from the box she kept in her trunk on the rare occasions she was in her own car when she got called to the scene.

Shawn shrugged, sliding his hand into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small stack of evidence bags. "Coulda asked me for the bag." He turned and put the bags back into his pocket as he began walking toward the building, stepping over the caution tape that was still around the scene.

"Do you carry those things everywhere Shawn?" she asked as she slipped over the tape herself and headed towards the door. '_Please let someone have cleaned this one up just a bit? I can't handle too much today..._' she thought as she opened the door carefully and groaned. "Damnit..." Sliding the gloves on her hands, Juliet shuddered a bit and turned to look at Shawn. "Remind me to not get my hopes up on clean up for gruesome scenes..."

Shawn laughed at the bag comment, but immediately stopped when he saw the scene. Mask on, he didn't even flinch at the sight, just stepped right past Juliet into the room. In hindsight, it made for a pretty good display. He put a finger to his temple and looked around the room carefully. "Where is it?" he asked no one in particular. "You have to help me, Richard." He figured using the latest victim's actual name not before he was technically supposed to know it might add to the mystique. "The ring... Where is it?"

Sliding the mask over her face, Juliet quietly stepped inside behind Shawn and instantly felt a shiver work up her back. Quite quickly she stepped up behind him and latched onto his arm. She'd seen this scene before, so why was she so grossed out about it now? Was it because it was just her and Shawn and Lassiter wasn't there to say anything about it? Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in, she sighed. "I hope he tells us where it is... I really want to get out of here."

Shawn made a small shushing noise and closed his eyes. "I hear you, buddy. Where? Where did you say? In the... grate?" He moved toward a small grate in the floor, where some blood was congealing and draining into the grate. Kneeling down, he pulled out his own pair of gloves and slipped them on before prying the grate up and pulling out a gold wedding band, covered in blood. "Bag..." He almost gagged, but managed to stop himself.

Juliet opened the bag and held it for Shawn. "Oh ew..." she said, opening her eyes at the wrong time. Blood... was just one of those things that was really gross. It sent a shiver through Juliet's body that was evident due to the fact that the bag moved slightly when she shook. Biting her lip, she waited on Shawn to put the ring in it so that they could get the hell out of there.

Shawn dropped the ring into the bag and stood up, noting the slight bit of blood on the knee of his pants. It wasn't nearly enough to be noticeable, but he could feel the coldness against his knee and nearly gagged again. "Can we... go back to my place so I can change after we get the ring to evidence?" Somehow, he'd managed to keep his voice calm throughout the entire sentence, though he was more than likely freaking out on the inside. He'd never actually _touched_ other people's blood before. That had been what kept him distanced from the victim.

Juliet closed the bag quickly and nodded her head. "Yeah, that's doable..." she said closing her eyes for a second. "I'd like to get out of here now. This is really making me sick to my stomach..." A slight little whine laced her voice, although she tried her best to mask it. Turning to head for the door, Juliet sighed. "You're pretty damn brave Shawn... I'll give you credit for that."

"Okay," Shawn nodded. He wrapped an arm around Juliet's shoulders and led her toward the door. "Let's get the hell out of here." He was starting to actually feel the disgust from the room.

Almost as an instinct, Juliet found her arm around Shawn's waist. Sure, that was just a little awkward for her, but damnit, she was more than a little grossed out by the mess that this particular scene was in. Opening the door, Juliet took a breath of fresh air through her mask and looked at Shawn, lucky that the mask somewhat concealed the thankful smile on her face.

Shawn led Juliet outside and closed the door behind them. He kept walking a bit, then turned to Juliet after they crossed the police line and pulled the mask off her face. "You alright?" he asked, his hands resting on her shoulders.

Juliet nodded lightly and blinked a bit. "Better now that I'm not in there..." she whispered softly, taking another deep breath of fresh air and closing her eyes for a moment. "Thank you for being here with me for this. I needed that." Juliet focused her attention on the ground for a long moment, not quite sure if she wanted to look at Shawn at that moment.

Shawn wanted to close the distance between them with a kiss. He always had. But he remembered the "mistake" conversation they'd had a few months prior and decided a hug was best. "Don't worry about it. I can always be here when you need me, Jules. You take priority over spirits and dad anytime."

And this hug was perfectly fine with Juliet. In fact, it was quite comforting. Loosely she hugged him back and smiled, resting her head hesitantly against his chest. "That means a lot to me. Let's hope I can return that to you..." Smiling softly, she moved her head away and looked up at him. "Let's drop this off and get you back to your apartment so you can get those jeans off and get a different pair on." she said, tugging him along to the car. "You want to drive this time?" It was an offer.

Shawn chuckled and nodded. "Sure, I'll drive." He laughed and hugged Juliet a little tighter before stepping back all the way. "And for the record? 'Get you back to your apartment so you can get those jeans off' is a funny as hell phrase."

Juliet shook her head. "I realized that after I had said it." she said with a slight hint of a whine to her voice. Holding out her keys, she couldn't help but smile a bit. "Next time I'll think things through a little better before I go and say them."

Shawn chuckled again and kissed Juliet lightly on the cheek. "You're adorable, you know." Before she could react though, he was already almost all the way to the car.

Juliet stood still for a moment, letting that register. Shaking her head slightly, but smiling none the less, she followed Shawn to the car without even saying anything about the kiss on her cheek. In all actuality, it gave her that funny 'butterflies' feeling in the stomach. "I try? I don't know if that's the right answer for that statement or not... but that's the one I'm giving."

Shawn laughed and slid into the driver's seat, buckling in. "You have to try, Juliet? You, _try_ to be cute? I thought it came naturally."

Juliet shook her head and slipped into the passenger's seat. "You're something else Shawn, you do know this, correct?" she asked, looking over at him for a brief moment. "Maybe you see it naturally... I don't know. Can we change the subject?"

"Okay," Shawn shrugged. He started the car and pulled away from the building, aiming for the police department. "How about... we talk about... uh... kittens?" His face fell almost the instant he said it. "That was pathetic."

Juliet managed to chuckle a bit over that. "No, it was a good attempt Shawn. What about discussing what to do after we 'eat' as you suggested. There's half a dozen things that we could go do... like, maybe go for a walk on the beach and talk?" That was awkward, and Juliet knew it. Why the hell had she just said that? Then she remembered. '_Maybe that way I can start to get to know... you a little more? I don't know..._' Sighing, she bit her lip lightly and looked out at the front window of the car. "That was pretty pathetic too..." she said with a laugh.

Shawn chuckled. "No, that wasn't pathetic. But it was obvious." He pulled up to a red light and glanced sidelong at Juliet. "You want alone time with Shawn. You want to get to know me better. Maybe... find out whether a _mistake_ is just what you need to make today." He raised an eyebrow and turned back to the road as the light changed back to green and he proceeded on.

Juliet's jaw dropped slightly, and she blinked rapidly. "Please stay out of my mind..." she said softly as she fussed a bit with her hair. "Look, Shawn..." Juliet couldn't finish that sentence though. Instead she sighed again, and sat back against the seat, crossing her arms lightly. '_I want to say it wasn't a mistake, but I know in the back of my head I can't say it. Only because in the front of my mind, I won't allow myself to. It's just far too complicated._'

Shawn pulled the car in at the police department and killed the engine. He turned in his seat and looked at Juliet with a small smile. "Some mistakes are worth making, Jules." He slid out of the car and shut the door, clearly not willing to say another word on the subject as he started walking toward the building.

'_Maybe... but what's more important: friendship or a potential relationship?_' she thought as she grabbed the keys from the ignition and unbuckled herself. Opening the door and climbing out, she locked the car and put her keys in her pocket, following a few steps behind Shawn. "So, you think this will be more than enough to put or murderer away?" '_Smooth topic change Jules..._'

"It's covered in his DNA, Jules. I mean, it's only the man's wedding ring. I'm sure he's even probably-" He stopped, both mid-step and mid-sentence. He glanced at Juliet, considered his next words carefully, then went for it. "He's probably jerked off with that hand, just for the hell of the feeling, and of course we both know what sort of fluids might be left behind after that."

"Well, needless to say, that was more than I wanted to know..." she said in a slightly grossed-out tone, but shook it off. As grossed-out she was, Juliet still managed to keep a smile on her face when she looked at Shawn. "Thank God this case can finally be closed. It'll be great to have a bit of normalcy resuming itself around here..."

Shawn chuckled softly and put a hand out to Juliet, resting it on her shoulder. "Sorry, but it's the truth, and it had to be said." He shrugged and pulled his hand back. "And the whole thing will be over with and we can go get jerk chicken and walk on the beach or something."

Juliet smiled and headed towards the evidence room, gross blood covered wedding band in bag in hand. "I knew there was something we were missing..." she said softly, laying the bag down with the ring in it. "And I had a little help with this one. Seems our resident Psychic had a nice little chat with the spirits, and the spirits lead us to find that." She looked over at Shawn, giving him a look as if to say 'Your input here would be nice...'

Shawn shrugged and glanced to the officer in evidence. "The spirits were in a particularly giving mood. I can't take all the credit for it. Richard just wanted his death to be the last." He put a hand over his heart and lowered his head, gazing up at the officer through his eyelashes, a look that made him look surprisingly sexier than he already was.

**-TBC-**

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_Chapters will probably be fairly long, considering I'm a fan of having long chapters. It'll probably be a few days before the next one is posted. I gotta get on her tail and tell her we need to work more on it! Or... yeah. Heh. I'll have more for you eventually._

_A/N - I'm hoping to have another good part of this to post very soon! Reviews and things are totally welcomed and appreciated! And I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can._


	2. I Keep Hurting You

After a few more moments of talking, then filling out paperwork, the River's murder case was officially out of Juliet's hands. It was only a matter of time now before they had the killer in their hands. Casting a glance over at Shawn, Juliet found herself smiling a litte. "And on the agenda next... back to your place... oh no, that sounded bad." Chuckling quite nervously, she averted her gaze elsewhere for a moment. '_Can you at least attemt to find a better way to put things?_'

Shawn let out a small chuckle and then stretched. "Right, my place so I can change and whatnot." He glanced down at the small spot of blood on the knee of his jeans. "I'm suddenly very happy I didn't wear my torn jeans today."

"Yeah, that's a smart move... gosh thinking about that's making me squirm..." Juliet cringed a bit and shook her head, attempting to erase the thought of someone else's blood on her. "You want to drive again?" she asked, looking at Shawn with a slight smile. '_Surely I don't mind if you say you do. It'll give me a chance to watch the scenery go by and think. Not that there's much to see..._'

Shawn shrugged. "I could drive again. Doesn't really matter to me. Though," he paused, bringing a hand to his cheek and gently scratching at the stubble on the side of his face. "It makes sense... Seeing as we're going to my place... I sort of can get us there quicker."

"That's true..." Juliet cast a smile in Shawn's direction and gently rubbed the back of her neck. '_Probably oughtta stop back by my house too and get out of... work attire..._' she thought and yawned. "After you're done at your place, I think I want to swing by my place and get out of this stuff..." she said, hinting at her work attire. "Sound alright?"

Shawn nodded, smiling over at Juliet. "You could slip into something a little more comfortable." He stopped and smirked as he reached out and plucked the car keys from Juliet's pocket (yes, FROM her pocket). He unlocked the driver's side door and slid in, casting a sly smile her direction. "Pun totally intended to make you blush."

Juliet did just that, blushed. And it wasn't one of those tiny little cutesy blushes either. Instantly she lowered her head and continued to walk, keeping her eyes on her feet. "Unlock my door, will you?" she asked, not even bothering to look up. "And since you put things that way, is it more comfortable for me, or more comfortable for you to see me in?" Biting her lip lightly, she shook her head and chuckled. "I don't know about you Shawn..."

Shawn laughed and unlocked Juliet's door. "Aww, Jules." He chuckled still, and covered his mouth to stifle it. "You know it'd be more comfortable for you to wear, because if I were seeing it, I'd be quite a bit... uncomfortable." He chuckled again. "I'd be far too embarrassed and shocked that such a gorgeous girl was dressing down for me."

Again, Juliet blushed and opened her door, slipping quitely into the seat. Oh she was quite, for about thirty second before she managed to burst out into a fit of giggles. "See, that would be interesting... making you uncomfortable. It'd be payback for making me blush, not once, not twice, but three times now." Putting a quirky little smile on, Juliet looked over at Shawn for a moment, then looked back forward. "I'll come up with something."

Shawn laughed again and started the engine, pulling the car out of the precinct parking lot. "Someday, Jules, you might be able to get me back." He smiled. "Doubtful, but who knows."

"So in other words, you're doubting I can get you back, is that it?" The Junior Detective shot the psychic one of those looks that could kill. All out of pure play though, Juliet smiled. "We'll habe to see then, won't we?" Smirking, she focused her attention out her window. '_Your whole little comment about mistakes earlier got to me... It'd jeopardize a lot of things..._'

Shawn continued down the road toward his apartment, chuckling lightly. "I don't think you'd have the guts to do anything that'd embarrass me to the point of blushing. Because it would be highly wild and unlike you, what you'd have to do." He shrugged and turned the corner to his street.

'_Damn, he's right..._ she thought, and drummed her fingertips nervously on the door panel. "I'll think of something, trust me." Smiling slightly, even at her momentary defeat, Juliet looked over at Shawn for a moment. A thought clicked, and caused an impulse action. Carefully, she brought her fingertips up to the side of his face and brushed them over his cheek, not saying a word. '_I'll just start small._'

The movement caught Shawn offguard and he closed his eyes briefly, snapping them back open almost immediately to keep them on the road. The feel of Juliet's fingers on his cheek in such a... loving touch... had made him shocked, to say the least. He'd always imagined he and Juliet, alone in her car, her hands wandering his body while his mapped out every inch of her skin. But now, he was driving, and this was clearly Juliet trying to get into his mind. So far, it was working, but he refused to show it. "Sure, I'm sure you'll come up with something," he said, as though the fingertips hadn't affected him at all.

Juliet smiled, taking note in the reaction she'd gotten from such a light touch on his cheek. Curiousity (/potential stupidity) had gotten the best of her. Letting her fingers brush back the opposite way on his cheek, she let them wander down his neck, grinning the whole time. '_Might have already found something but the looks..._' she thought, innocently letting a single nail trace a path down the side of his neck.

Shawn sighed as he (thankfully) pulled up to his apartment complex and parked. "Jules," he murmured softly. "What are you doing?" His neck had always been a very sensitive place. It was by simply licking his neck that the waitress at that restaurant had convinced him to take her home all those months ago. And he knew full well how that had ended.

Smiling innocently, she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders causually. "Nothing really..." she said softly, but still continued to run her fingernail down the side of his neck. '_Apparently it's working... you seem to be enjoying this Shawn... and I'm having fun with it._' Looking over at him, she smiled a little more. "Should I stop?"

Shawn closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. "You know how a kitten will calm the hell down if you scratch it in just the right spot?" he asked softly. "That's what you're doing there for me. Only, unlike a kitten, I can get ferral really damn fast, even with someone scratching me under the chin." He figured the cat analogy was perfect for Juliet, seeing as she was a big cat person.

"Really now? That seems like grounds to test my luck..." Very lightly, she let the tip of her finger slide up underneathe Shawn's chin and scratched lightly with her fingernail. This of course, brought a slightly more than amused grin to her lips. "If that's the case... you're a charming ferral being..." '_I hope I know what I'm getting myself into..._' she thought, continuing to scratch ever so lightly under his chin.

"Jules?" Shawn's voice quavered just a bit as he tilted his head back to allow her more room to scratch. It really did feel good and he smirked lightly. He chuckled and looked to Juliet with a soft gaze. "You sure you wanna test your luck, coz I might just take it as a hint that you want this hunk o' man..."

Chuckling softly, she continued to scratch underneathe his chin with the same sweet and serene smile she'd had before. "Hm... I haven't stopped yet have I?" she purred, and let her gaze meet his. She could feel her heart flutter like crazy in her chest when her eyes met with his. She was seriously just pressing her luck now, waiting to see what would happen.

Shawn sighed and turned to face Jules, a serene smile on his face. "No, you haven't." He leaned forward into the "very close talking" space and sucked air into his lungs before closing the gap and kissing her softly on the corner of the lips. _I'm probably overstepping my boundaries right now._

Juliet continued to scratch under his chin and smile. "I bet you're wondering what your boundaries are..." she whispered softly, the feel of his lips against hers sending a chill down her spine. '_Although, I wish you would have just... gone with the gut feeling which I know you had, and that was just to go with it..._' she thought lightly running a solitary nail down his throat. '_Be ready for whatever comes at you Juliet, you started this._'

Shawn chuckled and nodded, pulling away to look at Juliet. "Well, it's kind of difficult to know where my boundaries lie when I don't even know what your real feelings for me are." He shook his head. "But, we really should just do what we'd planned. I mean, we only know each other through work, and I'd really like to get to know the real Jules, not the work Jules... You know?"

"Let's put it this way Shawn, I didn't move the first time, and I didn't move the second time. Apparently, there's gotta be something there." Smiling softly, she nodded in agreement to what Shawn had just said. "And I agree. Only, I want to get to know the out-of-work-Shawn instead of... well, you know what I mean."

Shawn sighed. "You keep sending me mixed-ass messages, Jules. One minute, I think you like me, the next you're calling things wrong and mistakes, then you're all, 'I like you, Shawn' again." When he'd said that last little statement, he'd raised his voice to that high-pitched weird voice he tended to use whenever imitating any woman.

Juliet stayed quiet and didn't say a word. She'd even turned her attention away from Shawn and on to the steering wheel. He was right, though, and that's what got her. She had been sending all sorts of mixed signals his way. Biting her lip, she sighed and turned her blue-grey eyes back to meet his gaze. "I... I'm... sorry. I don't know. I like you, there I said it. But I'm afraid of that. I'm afraid things'll get all messed up and we'll wind up in a situation that not only makes things awkward, but makes them uncomfortable too."

Shawn let out a sigh and opened the driver's side door. He slid out of the car in silence and started walking toward the apartment. _If I sit in there, I'll say things I really don't think I'm ready to say._ Truth be told, Shawn really _did_ like Juliet, but all the constant turn-downs had disheartened him so much that now, when she said that she did, in fact, like him, it didn't feel real to him.

Juliet sighed and snatched the keys from the ignition before opening her door. Closing it after exiting the car, she took a deep breath in and let it back out. '_Say something Jules... seriously. You need to. No more mindgames, mindfucks, whatever they are. Just be honest about everything._' she told herself. Closing her eyes, she managed to muster up the courage to say something. "Shawn, wait." Moving from her spot where she just stood, she caught up to him, but stayed a few feet behind. '_Please... let me do this... and get it out into the open..._'

Shawn closed his eyes and stopped, not turning to look at Juliet, just standing there. "What, Juliet?" he asked softly, running a hand over his face in a sign of exhaustion. That's what he was, after all. He was exhausted with this little game, and he was hurt by that slightly unsure sound in Juliet's voice, even now. _Just let me change, let's get some food and forget this happened,_ he begged the sky, glancing up a bit.

He'd kept her back to her, which was fine. In a slightly more than awkward situation, she ran up behind Shawn and put both arms around his waist, placing her head against the center of his back. '_Please... take this as a hint Shawn, I'm done with the mindgames..._' Her grip on him didn't loosen up at all. In fact, if anything, she tightened it in an attempt to prove her point. '_You... you've gotta believe this... me... everything._'

Shawn let his head droop and gazed down at Juliets hands clasped around his middle. He placed his own hands over hers and just stood there, very still and very quiet for a long moment. Finally, after a lot of thought, he let out a soft sigh. "Jules, I really like you. I have since I first saw you, back in that diner the first time. I thought, 'Hey, here's a girl I want... and I don't want throw her away when I'm done, because I'll never be done.' And I tried so hard.." He took a deep breath. "And it was nothing but rejection after rejection, but I still kept trying, because I thought there was that spark there. But, it's been weighing on my mind ever since that stupid moment in the precinct, when you said that..." He trailed off. "I'm starting to think that I might not be the right guy for you, because you're so hesitant with everything. It's like, you're scared to say yes because it's going to make your life horrible if you do."

Juliet still didn't let go of Shawn. And it wasn't because she didn't want to. She wouldn't _let_ herself. She was so tired of all her little games with him. Slowly but surely it was wearing on her, and she knew it. Juliet really did want Shawn in her life. Hell, she wanted him to be in her life as a more permanent part, she'd admit it if given the chance. Keeping the side of her face against his back, she sighed. "It's not that I want to keep doing this little game at all... believe me, I don't. I know what I want, I know what I've got. I know what I need too. I know I want you to be here as a more permanent part of my life, I know I've got you as a friend. I want you as something more. Damnit, I'm really trying... really I am. I'm just so afraid that there's going to be that one time things just get a little nuts, and then every link in the chain is going to become separated. I don't want that Shawn, really I don't." Taking a deep breath in, she closed her eyes for a moment, then proceeded to speak once more after she opened them. "Shawn, I like you. A lot more than I show. But the thing is, we're co-workers. I don't want to make things awkward... or difficult. I do care deeply about you, truly I do... I just don't want to lose you if things go wrong..."

Calmly taking a breath, Shawn gave his neck a soft roll one direction, then the other, cracking it a bit. "That's just the thing, Jules. We're not co-workers. I'm a consultant for the police. I'm not an officer. I'm not a detective. The only way I tie into that is that my paycheck comes from your boss, but we are, in no way, co-workers. Co-workers work in the same office together, go to the same potlucks, the works. And even if we were co-workers, what makes you so scared?" He slid carefully from her grasp and turned around, staring straight at her now. "If things go wrong, they go wrong, but I don't want to lose you as a part of my life, Jules. I know for a fact that if anything were to mess up between us, it wouldn't be because I was tired with it. I'm willing to stick it out through so much with you, Jules. Shit, if we knew each other better and if you weren't so against marriage, I'd get down on one knee and ask you to be mine forever. Except, I know I'd get that same scared look. That look that tells me you're not ready." He shook his head and sighed. "Maybe I should... just go upstairs and you should go home." He hated that he was doing this, but he wanted Juliet to be fully ready and willing to go into a relationship with him. She was still spouting those fears though, and that hurt him deep down. _Am I such a terrible person that you automatically assume stuff's gonna go wrong? Where's your spirit, Jules? Can't just jump right into something for once?_

Juliet, keys in hand, moved her hands into her hair and closed her eyes. Without saying a word she turned away from Shawn, only because those blue-grey eyes of hers were quickly filling with tears. Why the hell was it so hard for her to just put everything past her? She wanted to have him in her life, she... needed him. And it'd taken her all of this time to see that. Biting her lip and taking a deep breath, she started back towards her car. '_Goddamn it. This just won't get any easier will it? He's right Jules, you're too afraid. You can't just one fucking time set this all aside and go blind into anything can you? It's not like he's going to hurt you or anything, Christ. How many times in the past has he done something to hurt you? A kiss and you call it a mistake, but secretly in the back of your goddamn mind you wanted it more than anything. Is it so hard for you to just take a risk?_' Tipping her head up towards the sky, she almost screamed in frustration, but instead just dropped to her knees and slid her hands over her eyes, hoping that they would somehow stop the tears that wanted to fall. "I'm trying... I really... I really want to do this. I want there to be something more. I'm so sick of hurting you all the time because I'm afraid..."

Shawn tried to stand still, to just watch Juliet walk away, but the instant her knees hit the pavement, he was at her side, pulling her into his arms and just holding her. He didn't speak; he didn't feel that words would help the moment. Instead, he just held onto Juliet and brushed his hand through her hair, kissing softly along her hairline. _Goddamnit, Shawn. Lookit what you did because you let yourself get all hurt. Now she's in a worse state than you. _

That's where she stayed, right in Shawn's arms. There hadn't been a time before where she'd felt... more comfortable or more safe there. She hadn't meant to start crying, really she hadn't. More or less, that had snuck up on her and hit her hard. Juliet didn't want to play the games anymore, she didn't want to keep hurting Shawn, none of that. Shaking from the tears that fell, Juliet tried to locate the right words to say, but lacked the ability to find them at that moent in time. So instead, she stayed in his arms, hoping that somehow Shawn would get those tears to stop. _'I'm sorry... I didn't... I don't... I shouldn't be crying right now, but I'm hurt because I keep hurting you.'_


	3. Have I Ever Told You How Cute You Are?

Shawn sighed and held Juliet tightly. He didn't speak, because he really couldn't think of anything _to_ say. _Gee, Jules. I'm sorry you're sad, but let me throw myself at your feet again and again to make you smile_? That sounded heartless. Instead, he just kept holding her, brushing her hair down with the flat of his hand and glancing around, hoping people didn't see him trying to calm her and call the cops, thinking he was some abusive boyfriend or something. _That'd make my day._

"I'm sorry I'm such a contradiction... I know what I do want though... really I do. This here," Juliet began, finally getting up the guts to look up at Shawn, despite her tear-streaked cheeks, "This I like. Not the current reasoning, but I like this..." Sniffling a little, Juliet took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that had stuck to her cheeks. She realized that the current... situation could potentially raise an eyebrow or two, so she allowed herself just for that moment, to back out of his arms. "I'm... gonna try to take a risk or two. I want to dive into things blinded. I just... I'm a little scared." '_Can we still... go through with what we planned on doing? Please?_'

Shawn gazed carefully at Juliet, those green eyes probing her and watching her body language for some sort of sign. After a few moments of silence, he stood, holding onto Juliet's hands and helping her up as he went. "You really want to dive into things blind with me, Jules? You want to give this a shot and hope for the best? Because... I'm willing if you are." He closed his eyes a moment, breathed deep, then opened them to look back at her pleadingly. "But no more wishy-washy? Straight yes or no, for everything, from now on."

Juliet nodded. "Yes, I want to do this, to hope for the best. Get back a bit of the optimism I seemed to have left somewhere. And no more wishy-washy. Straightforward. I promise." Squeezing both of Shawn's hands lightly, she let her blue-grey eyes lock with his green ones. '_I mean this Shawn, this is for real._' She was hoping he'd see that in her eyes. Breathing in softly, and breathing out just as soft, Juliet closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm willing to do this. I mean that." Opening them once more, she looked at Shawn with full sincerity.

Still slightly hesitant, but more than willing to go for it still, Shawn pulled Juliet into a tight hug and nestled his face into her neck, sighing softly. "Okay." _Please, Jules. Let me prove to you that I'm a good guy._

Juliet rested her head softly against Shawn's shoulder and put both arms tightly around him. Sighing lightly, she closed her eyes. '_I know I can do this. I need to keep telling myself this. I want to do this._' she told herself, a gentle smile coming to her lips. "If we plan on doing anything else today, you should really go and change the jeans. You said you wanted to do that. But... that's if we're still going through with our plans or not." She liked the way his face felt against her neck, and the way his arms felt around her. There would be more time for this afterwards though.

"I'll go up and change," Shawn agreed. "You head back to your place and change. Then meet me at the jerk chicken place, okay? We'll eat and then go from there." He stepped back and kissed Juliet lightly on the corner of her mouth before smiling softly at her. "Sound good?"

Juliet nodded. "Sounds fine with me." Smiling sincerely, she finally let her arms fall from their grasp on Shawn. "Let's aim for half an hour we meet there. That give me a bit of time to think back on ways to make you blush." Her smile was more or less replaced with a slight Cheshire kind of grin now. The wheels were already turning... slightly. '_The next time you get your lips close to mine, at least let them actually touch, okay?_' she thought, biting her lip a bit.

Shawn could feel the left corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk. He couldn't exactly smile all the way right now, but the idea of spending time with a new Juliet, who actually wanted to try this on for size... It made him happy, so the smile was starting to come back. "Half an hour. We'll meet at the jerk chicken." He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time completely on the lips, though soft and chaste.

Juliet could feel herself smile a bit into the kiss. '_I'm gonna do this. I need to._' she thought and let the tips of her fingers make a gentle connection with the side of his face. "I really should have made a better choice in words when it came to you and your 'very close talking' It wasn't a mistake... I just didn't take the chance... I'm kinda glad I'm doing that now..."

Shawn smiled against Juliet's lips and wrapped his arms around her softly, holding her to him as he considered his next words. "I'm... glad you're taking it now too. I don't know how much more I'd have been able to take. I've wanted this since the day I met you." He gently kissed her lips again, then pulled back. "Jerk chicken. Half an hour." He squeezed her hand and turned to go into his apartment building.

"See you in half an hour." Juliet said, with a wide grin. Turning back towards her car, she bit her lip and headed towards it. '_Okay, that... needs to happen again. And you, you need to go back to your house and get ready._' Slipping around the front of her car and to the driver's side, Juliet opened the door and looked at Shawn one more time. "Don't be late." Slipping into the seat and closing the door, Juliet put the key in the ignition and brought her car back to life. Checking the blind spots, she carefully pulled back out onto the street and headed off towards her house, that kiss playing on repeat in her mind.

Shawn's grin had finally returned as he climbed the stairs to his apartment on the third floor. He was ecstatic, practically dancing into the main room of his home. He moved quickly to his bedroom and began rummaging through his clothes for something a bit more presentable and far less blood-stained. He found a good pair of new-ish jeans and a red polo shirt. He grabbed up an undershirt to complete the look and set about changing, all the while grinning and humming softly to himself.

Juliet grinned the entire drive back to her apartment, and then the entire time wandered about, fussing over what to wear. Favoring something on the lines of a sundress-ish kind of thing, Juliet quickly changed. Okay, she was really, really psyched up about this whole... giving Shawn a chance thing. She'd trusted him this far, so why should she not trust him now? He'd always been a total sweetheart towards her, but she kept pushing him away. That much, she didn't understand. But, she knew she was regretting it now. Or rather, was regretting, then moving towards forgetting, because now, she was sort of going on a 'date' with Shawn. And he'd kissed her on the lips. Dancing about a bit, she took her hair down, which had been up since she got up, and shook it up a bit. '_Wavy. Perfect._'

Shawn was ready within five minutes. So, he decided to sit on his couch and catch his breath, letting his mind go back over what had happened just a few minutes before with Juliet. He certainly hadn't meant to make her cry, but he'd be damned if he didn't love the consequences of how things turned out. Smiling to himself, he flipped through some news before he settled back and sighed heavily. "Looks like I'm actually getting something I want for once," he noted.

Five minutes was all it had taken her to get ready, so she still had time to kill. Opting for a quick sit and rest to reflect on what had happened, Juliet sat down in a chair in her living room and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember the feel of Shawn's lips against hers. She'd like that again... like now, but she'd wait it out. Sighing quite contently, Juliet opened her eyes. "Finally stepped outside that little insecurity block I'd been hiding in. I needed to. It's not like he's gonna break my heart or anything..." she said to herself, glancing at her wall clock. "Leaving here in five minutes. I kinda wanna beat him there..."

Shawn refused to be late to meet Juliet anywhere, but he was still of the mind of showing up just in time. It was his style. He'd never been early for anything or, in many cases with his father, on time for the most part. So, he settled back against the couch and checked the time, sneezing lightly. _Sunglasses,_ he told himself. _That'll cut the glare, make your eyes less squinty, and you won't sneeze so much._

Those five minutes passed rather... quickly to say the least. Looking up at the clock, Juliet smiled and got up from her spot and grabbed her keys off the counter, as well as her purse. Sighing, she headed towards the door and opened it, pausing for a brief moment. "Please let this go well..." she whispered and headed out the door and to her car. Getting in, she started it once more, ran through all of the preliminary 'pre-driving rituals' and headed for her desstination.

Shawn slowly pushed himself up from his couch and grabbed up his helmet. He left the television on and wandered out of the apartment, locking the door behind him. He figured he'd take a liesurely pace back toward the jerk chicken place. He got out to his bike and hopped on, adjusting his helmet properly before knocking back the kickstand and starting the machine.

Arriving at the jerk chicken place, Juliet parked her car and sat for a moment. '_Yes, this is real. Not a dream. So, up and at 'em._' Opening her car door, and killing the engine, Juliet took her keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car. '_Now comes the fun __part of waiting for him..._' she thought as she closed the door and brushed her hair away from her eyes. Humming softly, she stepped up on the sidewalk and looked up for a brief moment, then looked back down. '_Bright... shoulda brought sunglasses._' Chuckling lightly, and headed to one of the tables outside to sit. "You're gonna show up at the last minute... I can already tell."

Shawn got to the restaurant and saw Juliet's car. He swung around and circled the block before parking next to her car and pulling his helmet off, still astride the bike. "Hey Jules!" he called, running a hand through his hair. After a moment, he killed the bike's engine and dropped the kickstand as he got off the bike. He reached into his jacket's inside pocket and put his sunglasses on before settling his helmet down on the bike and striding toward Juliet. "Long wait?" He really was a couple minutes early, just because he'd driven quicker in his anxious manner.

Juliet smiled a little. "No, not really. I've only been here a few minutes myself." Rising from her seat, Juliet smiled a little more and fussed with the edge of her sundress a bit. '_Okay, now I'm either gonna hug you, or you're gonna hug me... or something._' she thought and moved a bit towards him. "Y'look good."

"Not nearly as good as you look," Shawn smiled, walking up to Juliet and pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Have I ever told you how cute you are? Gorgeous too. Beautiful... Stop me if your ego gets to big." He smiled wider and looked at Juliet a moment before kissing her softly on the lips. "I'd been wanting to do that again since you left my apartment complex."

"Don't worry, my ego won't change. Only the color of my cheeks..." she said, hinting at the fact that she was blushing. Juliet smiled and hugged him back, leaning out of the hug for a moment. "It's okay, I'd been thinking about when the next time it would happen would be." Grinning, Juliet lightly kissed him back. "So, um, should we grab a table and order now? Or what should we do?"

"Let's snag a table and eat," Shawn suggested, motioning to one of his favorite tables in the place. He waved at one of the waitresses and led Juliet to the table. "We can eat, talk, enjoy the view... Whatever." He held out the chair for Juliet, because he was just that much of a gentleman... today at least.

Juliet smiled sweetly at Shawn, and took the seat that he'd held out for her. "Thanks Shawn," she began, that smile still on her face. Looking up at him, she couldn't help but smile more. "That all sounds wonderful to me." Tucking her hair back behind her ear, she took a light breath in and let it back out. '_This is going to be great. I know it is._'

He couldn't help it. Shawn bent down to kiss Juliet one more time before going to his own seat, where he spoke with the waiter-person and ordered for them, because there was really only so much you could order at this place... He then sat down and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. "So... how's things?" He smiled wickedly, chuckling at his tone.

Juliet looked across at Shawn and mimicked his actions, just for a chuckle. "Oh, well, you know... the same things as... 'How's things?' 'Things' is good for me I suppose. And for you?" Shaking her head a bit, Juliet chuckled, and let her eyes rest on that wicked smile of his. Goddamn could it melt a heart. Then again, his looks alone could melt a heart. '_Keep that smile for me..._'

Shawn chuckled and leaned back in his seat, draping one arm over the back of the chair and affecting a casual stance. "Well, I helped the local police department with a murder case. One of their cuter detectives asked me to find a clue to put a guy in jail. I did it. Coz I'm nice like that, you know?"

"Really now? She's cute huh? Well, tell me what she's like..." Juliet inquired, quirking an eyebrow and smiling at Shawn. She loved where this conversation was going. "Oh! But I should also say that I had help solving a case myself today. Quite a good looking guy with a connection with the spirits helped me find something..."

"Oh, she's attractive. Blonde, beautiful. I've been after her for a while. Funniest thing... Today, she just up and agreed to... Well, to try things out with me. Try the whole relationship deal. God, I couldn't be happier. But, uh. Tell me more about your psychic friend. Is he undeniably hot?" Shawn smirked lightly, locking eyes with Juliet as he spoke. _Oh this is fun._

Smiling Juliet let her eyes stay locked with Shawn's. "He's very attractive. He's got such beautiful dark green eyes that can take my breath away, a wicked smile that could melt even the most icy heart there is. He's funny, undeniably sweet, and he seemed to have talked me into giving things a shot with him. He made me open my eyes and see that sometimes you need to make a mistake." Smiling quite charmingly, she rested her chin on her hands after setting her arms on the table. '_Too cute..._'

Shawn put a hand over his heart, fluttered his eyelashes and made a soft, "Aww," noise. "That's so sweet. Whatever are you doing here, with me? Why aren't you with him? He sounds like such a sweetheart. I don't think _I_ could ever measure up to that."

"I could ask you the same questions though. How come you're not off with her? And why are you sitting here with me?" Smiling flirtatiously, Juliet lifted her chin from her hands and chuckled a bit. "Y'know Shawn, that was kinda cute... okay, it was really cute." Blinking those blue-grey eyes of hers, she lightly bit her lip.

Shawn smiled and reached out to Juliet, taking her hand in his. "It was fun," he admitted. "Always is fun to do stuff like that, though." He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed her fingertips. "What do you want to do after this?"

Juliet thought for a moment, closing her eyes. "Well, let's go down to the boardwalk. We can maybe play a couple of games of skiball, walk around a bit... take a ride on the ferris wheel?" '_That would be pretty... romantic..._' Juliet thought, cracking a smile. "And after that, maybe we can head to the beach and walk along the water's edge as the sun sets..."

Shawn smiled and entwined his fingers with Juliet's, rather than the Romeo-style of holding her hand. "That sounds... great," he whispered as the waiter brought their chicken-foods. "Sounds like a perfect plan."

"I'm glad you like that idea. Not too bad for just throwing random words and places together..." Juliet whispered back, feeling the butterflies in her stomach again. The way Shawn had laced their fingers together made her smile. He'd been right. Some mistakes were worth making. Juliet was finding out that this one was totally worth it.

Shawn smiled again before he lightly released his hand from Juliet's. "Well, it was a good plan. I like it. Now, let's eat... Before I pass out." He smirked and took a piece of chicken or whatever it was and took a bite.

Juliet nodded and smiled, taking a piece of the chicken herself, taking a bite. In the back of her mind, she was already thinking about that beach walk. That would be the highlight of the day. The setting sun casting it's orange glow on the water and the sand? Heaven in Juliet's mind. She wouldn't mind sharing that with Shawn at all.

Shawn ate in silence, his eyes darting around the restaurant as he took in everything, the way his father had always taught him. He picked up a second piece of chicken as he stared at a certain couple, taking in every detail about the guy's messed up clothing and woman's ruffled hair. _Just screwed? Or just broke up?_

Juliet also ate in silence, more or less just running all the things that could come with this little date through her head. Okay, it wasn't a little date. More or less, it was just one of those things that couples did together. Still, all the thoughts she had kept her quiet, and kept her busy. '_Skiball, we could play on bets. And the ferris wheel... he could hold me protectively in his arms... Gosh, this is all just really exciting._'

Shawn thought about the different things they could while they were out and about as well, a small smile widening across his lips. _That walk on the beach is going to be the best. She'll probably get cold, only wearing a sundress like that. Then I can hold her while we walk..._

It was then that a soft, yet totally 'filled with romantic thoughts' sigh escaped the perky blonde, causing her to smile and to look over at Shawn. Those butterflies came back again, causing her cheeks to turn a soft shade of rosey-pink. Nibbling a bit at another piece of the chicken, she took a deep breath in and let it back out. '_This day just can't get any better than this..._' she thought.


	4. Hold On Tight, Right?

Taking another piece of chicken into his mouth, Shawn sat back and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before speaking up. "I know we're not quiet eaters, either of us, but that's what we're being now. Aren't we usually gabbing about random crap even when we eat?" He coughed lightly and glanced around. Obviously, the silence was slowly getting to Shawn Spencer, as it had a habit of doing.

"Usually, yes. But I think our minds are on other things..." Juliet said with a soft chuckle. "But if it's the quiet that's bugging you, we can start a conversation if you would like." '_Of course, the sound of your voice would help in the instance of thinking about what you might say to me later..._' Juliet thought and chuckled again. "What do you want to talk about?" Nibbling away at another piece of chicken, Juliet let her eyes lock onto Shawn's again.

"You know, I-" Shawn stopped himself and tilted his head to the side a bit. "I hadn't thought what I wanted to talk about. I just... wanted to hear your voice." He shrugged and smiled at Juliet. "I suppose, the best way to do that is to ask you a bunch of questions about yourself. So, for starters... What's your family like, Jules?"

Juliet thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, I've got three nephews, Drake, Finn, and Isaac. They're adorable. A little hyper, but they're adorable. And my brother's a pretty alright kinda guy. The boys definitely take after him. Um, mom and dad... they're pretty laid back for the most part. Mom's an amazing cook. Y'know... I'm not too good with talking about family... or at least not currently." Laughing a bit, Juliet shook her head and smiled at Shawn. She knew why she wasn't having much luck with talking about family. He was sitting across the table from her. Juliet couldn't understand why the hell she was having such a problem talking now. She hadn't before...

Shawn shrugged. "Well, I'd talk about my family, but there's only so many stories about a tyranical father one can tell. He and I have not had the best family life." He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat a moment. Opening his eyes slowly, he glanced around. "Dad's always trying to test me, make me better, always wanted me to be a cop. And it left a pretty big rift between us. So anything I have to say about him, it's not gonna be happy." _That's a bold-faced lie, but I don't think Juliet would understand the complexities of mine and dad's relationship, so let's just leave it at that._

Juliet smiled softly at Shawn. "So your father more or less wants you to be better at what you can already do? That seems just slightly... harsh. But we won't continue on with that if you're not one for wanting to talk about your father at all." In truth, she really didn't want to dig around in spots of Shawn's life that might be a little too sensitive to talk about. It just wasn't something she could get herself to do. Letting her eyes catch with his, she set and upturned palm on the table for him. Juliet had a feeling that this 'date' was going to be a lot more fun that she had originally expected it to be.

Shawn took hold of Juliet's hand almost on impulse and smiled softly at her. "Thanks for understanding, Jules. I'd rather talk about you and your life than complain to you about mine."

Juliet smiled right back at Shawn and gently rubbed his hand with her fingertips. "It's not a matter of understanding really, it's more or less knowing that it's something you're not comfortable with talking about. And if you can listen to my life story, I can listen to yours as well. It's only fair..." she said in one of those reassuring tones of voice.

"Well," Shawn countered. "In telling me I didn't have to talk about it if I didn't want to, you're understanding it somewhat." He shrugged and tightened his grip on her hand. "You all done here? Wanna go walking around and stuff now? Maybe head to the Boardwalk before it closes down?"

Juliet smiled and shook her head lightly. "You're good... countering like that. I'm good here now... so that trip to the boardwalk does sound quite lovely now." Feeling his grip tighten on her hand, Juliet smiled a little more, and let her eyes catch in Shawn's. "Onward, it would seem." Brushing her hair back behind her ear with her free hand, she cast her eyes to her car for a moment, then to Shawn's bike.

Shawn caught her eyes and watched where she was looking. "You want to drive, or do you want to ride the bike?" he asked quickly, standing and picking up the check the waiter-person had put on the table.

Juliet grinned. "Let's go with the bike... if you promise not to go fast on it." Standing up herself, she kept her eyes on the bike. It'd be the first time she'd ridden on it... and she was hoping it wouldn't be the last. She was also hoping that maybe Shawn would make things a little fun with her on it, but it wasn't something she'd force on him. If he was going to do something with her on it, he'd do it on his own.

"Alright," Shawn nodded. He went to the front and paid the bill, then returned to Juliet and took her hand to lead her out to the bike. When they got out to it, he handed her his spare helmet and winked. "I know you probably don't want to muss your hair, but I don't want to risk you getting brain damage because some other driver wasn't paying attention."

"I'd rather be safe than sorry..." Grinning a little bit Juliet tipped her head to the side and studied Shawn for a moment. '_I wanna kiss him again... or have him kiss me..._' she thought as she rocked the helmet between her hands. "And I'm not worried about the hair. It's the least of my concerns."

Shawn smiled and kissed Juliet's cheek softly. "That's good. I knew there was a reason I liked you. You don't mind getting a little mussed."

"I don't mind trying something new every now and then..." Which in a sense was true... because this 'dating Shawn' thing was something new. Grinning a little bit, Juliet kissed his cheek back for good measure. '_I'm hoping this'll be fun. It gives me a reason to hold on to you for my life..._' she thought and chuckled a little.

Shawn chuckled and pulled his own helmet on. "Good. Hop on." He set himself astride the bike, glancing back at Juliet and waiting for her to join him.

Juliet smiled and hopped on the back of Shawn's bike, but not before putting the helmet on her head. This would be a new experience for her... motorcycles. But she trusted Shawn enough. Buckling the strap under her chin, she could feel the excitment in the pit of her stomach. "Hold on tight, right?" she asked, smiling a little. '_I think that's a no brainer. I just don't want you to jump when I put my arms around your waist..._'

Shawn chuckled and nodded. "Don't want you falling off, so go ahead and hold on for dear life." If she listened really carefully, Juliet could probably hear the wink in his words. Shawn revved the bike engine once, smiling at the feel of his bike coming to life. _God... I love this baby... and if I can get her to love it too... It'll be perfect._

Juliet did hear that wink in his voice, and instinctively wrapped her arms around his midsection. She already had that feeling of wanting to see what this motorcycle could do, but she thought it was entirely too soon for that. Resting her helmet covered head lightly against his back, she could feel a smile come across her face. '_I already like this feeling... being able to hold onto him like this..._' she thought, and let her eyes close.

Shawn smiled at the feel of Juliet's arms around his midsection, feeling a slight tremor of joy at being close to her. _Hope I can get her to feel the same way about me,_ he thought before revving the Norton Commando to life and pulling away from the curb, shocking himself that he still followed the rules of the road, even though he really wanted to show off.

For a split second, Juliet tightened her grip on Shawn, slightly nervous with the whole concept of being on the back of a motorcycle, but she quickly loosened it up a bit when he seemed to follow every rule of the road. '_I know you're itching to get crazy... and I want to see what you'll come up with... what you'll do. If you're careful and don't get us both killed, I'll support the idea of daredevilism._

Shawn sped up, just a little bit, and grinned. Still going by the speed limit and the rules of the road, he managed to take a turn pretty fast, still unsure of what he could do with Juliet on the bike with him. He wanted to mix it up a little, but he knew his luck. He didn't want to get her hurt. So, he only sped up a little bit more again, and kept it steady, though he did take a few more turns pretty fast, and speed between a few cars in a crowded intersection/ _But that's just a perk of a bike._

Juliet continued to hold on, squeezing Shawn's waist a little bit when she felt a little nervous. She liked this whole ordeal. It was outside of her normal comfort zone, which was a change for her. Just the same though, she liked it. At one point, she closed her eyes... the part where Shawn sped through the cars at the intersection. _Whoa! That's slightly crazy... but in a good way..._ she thought, letting her eyes flutter open again.

As much fun as he was having, Shawn sort of was happy to see the beach and Boardwalk up ahead. It was a beautiful sight and he stopped at the top of a hill, killing the engine of the bike and pulling off his helmet. "Wow," he whispered softly, staring at the sunlight reflecting off the water.

Juliet carefully unbuckled the helmet and removed it from her head. Taking a gasping breath in pure astonishment, Juliet smiled and rested her head back against Shawn's back softly. "That's such a beautiful sight..." Juliet said breathlessly, as she tightened her grip around his waist. '_It's even better that I'm seeing it with you..._' she thought.

Turning ever so slightly on the bike, just enough to partially face Juliet, Shawn wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, placing a soft kiss to her lips. "Not as beautiful as the sight I'm looking at now," he said, pulling back to gaze at Juliet properly.

Juliet could feel her cheeks blush slightly. That little kiss was something she had not been expecting at all. Nevertheless, the butterflies that had hit when she'd felt his lips against hers fluttered about, giving her that whole little 'Wow...' feeling. Letting her eyes wander to his, Juliet smiled. "You're too sweet Shawn..." she said, then kissed his cheek lightly.

"Use me to sweeten Lassy's coffee and he might just consider not adding all the stuff he adds on a regular basis." Shawn chuckled at this and turned back around. "Come on, babe. Helmet back on. I wanna walk the Boardwalk while it's still open." He chuckled at that, then stopped, hands paused above his head, helmet clutched between them. _Did I just call her... babe?_ He smiled slowly and let the helmet slide down his head and into place.

Juliet chuckled a little bit and slipped the helmet back on her head. "Alright. Sounds like a plan to me..." Grinning a little at his words, Juliet let her eyes close for a moment. _I think I could get used to hearing that from you..._ she thought and repositioned herself on the motorcycle so that when he gave the go-ahead, she could wrap her arms back around him. Although, she didn't feel the need to wait on his words, so on her own accord, she placed both arms back around his mid-section and held on.


End file.
